Will China-Russia summit impact Israel’s war with Iran-backed Hamas? – analysis
Despite years of favorable Israeli foreign policy, both Beijing and Moscow are now openly hostile to Israel.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN OCTOBER 16, 2023 10:20
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) stands next to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives for a group photo during the BRICS Summit at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, southeastern China’s Fujian Province, China September 4, 2017(photo credit: REUTERS/WU HONG/POOL/FILE PHOTO)
While the US is focused on the Middle East this week and Israel is considering whether a ground incursion in Gaza should take place; Russia and China are holding talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in the Chinese capital on Monday, starting his visit to Beijing which will host its third Belt and Road international forum, according to TASS.
This is important because Russia and China have both been critical of Israel after the Hamas attack. Despite years in which Israeli foreign policy attempted to cultivate these two countries or at least encourage a balanced view of the conflict in Beijing and Moscow, both countries are now openly hostile to Israel and Hamas has praised Russia’s view of the current situation.
In addition, they are both close to Iran.
Iran seeking to unify fronts against Israel
Iran has been seeking to unify various fronts against Israel. This potentially harms Israel’s long-term strategy. It comes amid reports that Egypt may host a meeting of countries to discuss Gaza.
It is unclear if Israel will be invited.
This illustrates that Israel may be isolated in the wake of the Hamas attack, which has set back years of progress in the region.
How has this happened?
The attack has emboldened enemies and Iran. Iran has sought to shift the chaos in the region from Syria and Iraq to Israel’s borders. This means using proxies to strike at Israel. Israel, which once defeated whole countries in 1973 and 1967, now is facing a potential multi-front war against terrorist armies, and this appears an uphill struggle. Iran and China and Russia are watching this unfold.
So is the US, which has sent the Secretary of State to shuttle around the region. Israel’s policy of avoiding the chaos after the Arab Spring is now coming up against the multi-polar world order.
Russia’s media said that “Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed he was planning to attend the forum. While in Beijing, Lavrov is expected to hold talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, too, said he was ready to meet with his Russian counterpart. He told TASS he expected to discuss the Palestine-Israel conflict with Lavrov.”
Furthermore, Russian state media said that “the Belt and Road initiative was proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013 to boost economic and trade investment projects involving as many countries as possible. More than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have already joined it. China’s third Belt and Road Forum will take place in Beijing on October 17.”
Meanwhile, China and Russia also want to expand into the Middle East in other ways. They want to use BRICS and the SCO to cultivate countries in the region. These organizations also exclude Israel.
As such, the meeting in China amid the conflict in Gaza has larger regional ramifications.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-768568.